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: present · temple · pass · bowl · leaves · ball · row · clip

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. present — the time now
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. present — there
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — a video
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. clip — to cut
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. row — a line
  17. present — a gift
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. clip — for paper
  21. row — to paddle
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. ball — a round shape

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