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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. cell — in biology

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