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 120 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: deal · bowl · field · rush · wind · arm · shower · content

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — rain
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. deal — to handle
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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