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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. last — to go on
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — for betting
  5. last — final
  6. cue — a signal
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — to get on
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. present — there
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cue — for pool
  18. season — in sport
  19. cue — a hint
  20. present — a gift
  21. last — finally
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — moving air

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