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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. roll — a cake
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mark — a trace
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spring — the season
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. spring — of water
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. firm — a company
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. capital — a city
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. capital — money
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mark — a grade
  24. roll — a list

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