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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. board — to get on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stem — to come from
  17. face — to point toward
  18. board — a committee
  19. face — to confront
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — a stem cell

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