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: rest · bowl · arm · foot · wound · pop · net · ball

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pop — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ball — a dance
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ball — a great time
  18. net — in sport
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. foot — a measure

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