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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. roll — a list
  10. row — a line
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. board — to get on
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mine — for digging

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