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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. 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. degree — from a university
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cell — in biology
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. scale — in music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. degree — an amount
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cell — a phone
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. 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