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: ground · deal · fan · mine · bowl · swing · pass · march

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. march — the month
  3. pass — a permit
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ground — a position
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. march — music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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