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: march · bulb · roll · craft · capital · date · bowl · scale

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. march — music
  4. capital — a city
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. scale — size or range
  8. march — the month
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. scale — in music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. craft — a skill
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. date — the fruit
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. capital — money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — boats
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bowl — to roll

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