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: shower · fan · spring · straw · mouse · ground · bowl · face

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ground — a position
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. spring — of water
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — to point toward
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. face — part of the head

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