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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. row — a line
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. march — the month
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. march — music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spring — of water
  24. cue — a hint

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