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: bowl · squash · bat · ball · spell · dip · pitcher · bark

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. spell — letters
  9. squash — to crush
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — a short time
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bat — the animal
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. dip — to sink

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