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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. shower — to wash
  6. board — a committee
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. shower — rain
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — child
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. vault — a safe
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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