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: season · bark · saw · club · bowl · lie · shower · rash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — a group
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — for golf
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. shower — rain
  14. season — of the year
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — in sport
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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