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: board · hand · dip · court · bowl · rash · pound · band

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rash — hasty
  3. court — for sport
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. board — to get on
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — of law
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. board — a committee
  15. court — of a king
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pound — a weight
  19. band — a ring
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a music group
  24. dip — a sauce

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