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: roll · chair · spell · shower · mark · pop · rush · racket

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. roll — a list
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — magic
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — rain
  20. mark — a grade
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chair — a leader
  24. spell — letters

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