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 120 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 · bowl · land · prune · pass · mate · deal · wind

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — a country
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — to come down
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — a gift
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. land — ground
  24. deal — a big deal

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