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: ground · pop · bowl · mine · content · chair · stem · board

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. board — to get on
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. content — the amount
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ground — a position
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stem — to come from
  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