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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. craft — boats
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spell — magic
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mine — for digging
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. capital — money
  24. bowl — to roll

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