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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spring — of water
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. race — a contest
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. face — to confront
  12. spring — a coil
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spell — magic
  15. row — to paddle
  16. spell — letters
  17. spring — the season
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. race — humankind
  24. spell — a short time

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