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: racket · band · temple · wound · current · bowl · root · pop

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. current — electric
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pop — soda
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — of water
  13. root — of a word
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — to visit
  18. root — the cause
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. current — happening now

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