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: shower · race · bowl · bark · lie · arm · bass · bound

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — low music
  12. race — humankind
  13. bound — tied together
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — rain
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bound — certain

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