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: arm · fan · hand · tube · ground · land · bowl · jam

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ground — the earth
  3. hand — help
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. land — a country
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — ground
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tube — a container
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bowl — to roll

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