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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. row — to paddle
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. shower — to wash
  7. game — a match
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. row — a line
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. game — wild animals
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chip — to eat
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. degree — from a university
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — a sauce

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