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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pop — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bark — to shout
  12. capital — a city
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pop — soda
  17. cue — a hint
  18. capital — money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bowl — a football final

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