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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. pass — a permit
  8. drill — army training
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. snap — to click
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ball — a great time
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ball — a dance
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bowl — a dish

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