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 · hide · bowl · file · lie · perch · row · wound

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. row — a line
  4. file — a tool
  5. ground — a position
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. file — a line of people

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