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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — a series
  3. drill — army training
  4. board — a committee
  5. cold — an illness
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — child
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. drill — a practice
  19. board — to get on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — hasty
  23. kid — to tease
  24. charge — in control

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