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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. drill — army training
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pop — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. drill — a practice

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