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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. land — to come down
  3. object — a thing
  4. board — a committee
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — a country
  7. mug — a cup
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. board — to get on
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. object — to protest
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cell — in biology
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — a phone
  23. object — an aim
  24. cell — in a prison

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