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 120 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: spring · capital · scale · season · bass · ground · leaves · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a city
  8. bass — low music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bass — the fish
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. capital — money
  16. scale — in music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spring — the season
  20. season — in sport
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. season — of the year
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — to add flavour

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