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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. row — a line
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. roll — a list
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. current — electric
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bank — for money
  14. degree — from a university
  15. roll — a cake
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. current — happening now
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bank — for money
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. degree — an amount
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bark — of a tree

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