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 · drill · mate · fall · stem · bass · mark · pitch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. drill — army training
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stem — of a plant

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