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 116 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spell — a short time
  4. perch — the fish
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. spring — of water
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — the sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fall — the season
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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