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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. season — in sport
  3. march — the month
  4. board — a committee
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. march — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. clip — to cut
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. march — the month
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. clip — a video
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. season — of the year
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pop — music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. board — to get on
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pop — to visit
  24. season — to add flavour

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