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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. board — to get on
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. track — a path
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — a song
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spell — letters
  11. kid — child
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. spell — magic
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chest — a box
  24. bear — to put up with

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