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: face · bowl · court · shower · track · bank · hide · leaves

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. face — to confront
  3. track — a song
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. court — of a king
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. track — a path
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. shower — rain
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bank — of a river
  16. track — to keep track
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. court — of law
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bank — for money
  22. court — for sport
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bank — for money

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