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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mark — a trace
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. board — a committee
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mark — a grade
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a music group
  16. present — the time now
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — a line
  19. present — there
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. present — a gift
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stand — to bear

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