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: mouse · ground · nail · kid · wound · bowl · wake · roll

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — to tease
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wake — a trail
  15. kid — child
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mouse — the animal

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