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: wake · court · rule · row · spring · bowl · fan · bass

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — low music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spring — of water
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. court — of a king
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a line
  13. rule — a law
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. row — to paddle
  16. spring — the season
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — government
  24. court — of law

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