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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. season — in sport
  4. board — a committee
  5. club — a group
  6. present — the time now
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — a gift
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. season — of the year
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. board — to get on
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. present — there

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