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 · lash · mate · can · spell · bass · degree · content

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. can — to be able to
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mate — a friend
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. content — the amount
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spell — magic
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bass — low music
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. spell — a short time
  24. content — happy

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