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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — the season
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. row — a line
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — all right
  24. bowl — to roll

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