ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spell — a short time
  6. race — humankind
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mark — a trace
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. race — the arms race
  16. net — after costs
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — letters
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — magic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — a contest
  23. net — in sport
  24. mark — a grade

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com