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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. kid — to tease
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pitch — completely
  10. board — a committee
  11. kid — child
  12. roll — a cake
  13. board — to get on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — a match
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. content — happy
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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