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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cold — an illness
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — the fish
  7. board — to get on
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — a match
  11. cold — not warm
  12. press — to push
  13. cue — a hint
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cue — a signal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bass — low music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — a series
  21. key — in music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. board — a committee
  24. cold — the Cold War

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