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: ground · club · net · snap · bowl · wound · rule · capital

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rule — government
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — crushed
  6. capital — a city
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. capital — money
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. club — for golf
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rule — a law
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ground — a position
  17. net — in sport
  18. club — for dancing
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to click
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — after costs

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