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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. game — a match
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. net — after costs
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. firm — a company
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. net — for catching
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bound — tied together
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — certain
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. firm — steady
  23. cell — in biology
  24. firm — decided

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