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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. press — newspapers
  10. board — a committee
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. board — to get on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spring — of water
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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