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: bark · hide · bowl · rash · band · sharp · bat · row

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — a series
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a line
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rash — hasty

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