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: racket · bass · tube · bowl · row · court · kid · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tube — a container
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — the underground
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. row — a line
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bass — low music
  15. court — of law
  16. row — to paddle
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — child
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. racket — a loud noise

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