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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. swing — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a dance
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rash — hasty
  8. present — there
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — a committee
  11. ball — a great time
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. content — the amount
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. row — a line
  20. content — happy
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. swing — to play on
  24. board — a flat piece

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