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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — the sport
  7. last — finally
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. last — final
  11. plane — a tool
  12. squash — to crush
  13. shower — rain
  14. last — to go on
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. staff — employees
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bulb — of a plant

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