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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · current · pop · pass · season · branch · march · cold

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. current — electric
  5. branch — a division
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — the month
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. pop — music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. season — of the year
  18. march — music
  19. season — in sport
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. march — the month

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