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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — to confront
  4. fall — the season
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cell — a phone
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. drill — army training
  13. cell — in biology
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. board — a committee

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