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: bowl · game · court · arm · bound · wound · bark · tube

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bound — certain
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tube — a container
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bound — obliged
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — the underground
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bound — tied together
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bark — to shout
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wound — an injury

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