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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ground — the earth
  5. drill — army training
  6. ground — a position
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ball — a dance
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bound — tied together
  13. drill — the tool
  14. net — in sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. branch — a division
  17. bound — certain
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — for catching
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — after costs
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stem — a stem cell

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