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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. present — the time now
  4. roll — a list
  5. bound — tied together
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bound — certain
  8. object — to protest
  9. bound — obliged
  10. object — an aim
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. swing — music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. swing — in golf
  15. present — there
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. object — a thing
  24. bowl — a football final

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