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 · wake · racket · last · net · game · wound · shower

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. game — a match
  3. net — after costs
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — rain
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. last — final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — for catching
  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