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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — happy
  5. board — a committee
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. present — a gift
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. last — final
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bank — of a river
  12. row — a line
  13. present — there
  14. last — to go on
  15. present — the time now
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. row — to paddle
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bank — for money
  21. board — to get on
  22. content — the amount
  23. last — finally
  24. pass — a permit

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