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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — the season
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cell — a phone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. board — to get on
  12. lean — thin
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a city
  16. row — a line
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cell — in biology
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. board — a committee
  22. club — for golf
  23. capital — money
  24. fall — to drop

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