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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. season — of the year
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. key — the most important part
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. track — a song
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. key — in music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. track — a path

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