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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. net — in sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — after costs
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. field — for sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. field — farmland
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — a subject
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wind — to turn a key

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