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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. court — of law
  13. shower — rain
  14. bass — low music
  15. stem — to come from
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bass — the fish
  24. racket — for tennis

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