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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pop — soda
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pop — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. game — a match
  12. chair — a leader
  13. roll — a list
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — crushed
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. roll — a cake
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — a position
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pop — to visit

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