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: bowl · ball · hand · lean · cell · race · spell · cue

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — a signal
  4. race — a contest
  5. spell — magic
  6. ball — a great time
  7. lean — thin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. spell — letters
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. race — humankind

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