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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bat — the animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pit — in a race
  24. sharp — with an edge

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