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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. game — a match
  3. land — ground
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — music
  8. last — final
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — soda
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ball — a dance
  15. last — finally
  16. land — a country
  17. stem — to come from
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bound — certain
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bound — tied together

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