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: stem · roll · bowl · capital · jam · snap · sharp · drill

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. snap — to click
  7. roll — a cake
  8. capital — money
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. roll — a list
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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