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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hand — help
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. net — in sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bound — certain
  17. net — for catching
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — after costs
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. squash — the sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. squash — to crush

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