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 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — to wash
  5. can — to be able to
  6. row — a line
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. staff — a stick
  12. current — happening now
  13. staff — employees
  14. shower — rain
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. current — electric
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. current — of water
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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