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: pound · wind · court · tube · game · face · object · bowl

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — of a king
  7. object — a thing
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. tube — a container
  14. face — to confront
  15. object — to protest
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — of law
  19. face — to point toward
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. object — an aim
  24. face — part of the head

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