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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. row — to paddle
  3. race — humankind
  4. spring — of water
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. drill — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. roll — a cake
  10. drill — army training
  11. season — of the year
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. roll — a list
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — a coil
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cap — of ice
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cap — a hat
  24. row — a line

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