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: bark · land · fan · cap · bowl · ball · sharp · file

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — of ice
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. sharp — clever
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. file — a tool
  23. land — ground
  24. ball — a round shape

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