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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. row — a line
  5. ball — a dance
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. spell — letters
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. hand — help
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — a trace
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hand — in cards

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