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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — to get on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. swing — to play on
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a ring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — to paddle

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