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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a committee
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. board — to get on
  8. degree — temperature
  9. capital — a city
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — from a university
  13. root — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. degree — an amount
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — of a river
  23. root — of a word
  24. bank — for money

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