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

Word bank: net · ball · game · court · shower · pound

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. shower — to wash
  6. court — for sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — of law
  11. net — after costs
  12. court — of a king
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. game — a match

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