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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. sharp — clever
  4. season — of the year
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. roll — a list
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spring — of water
  13. wax — to grow
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — in football
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — in sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bowl — a dish

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