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: mine · bear · bowl · last · net · season · pop · drill

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pop — soda
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pop — music
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. last — to go on
  8. net — for catching
  9. last — finally
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — in sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. drill — army training
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. drill — a practice
  22. last — final
  23. season — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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