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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a committee
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mine — for digging
  5. board — to get on
  6. drill — army training
  7. net — for catching
  8. court — of a king
  9. drill — the tool
  10. suit — in cards
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — for sport
  13. suit — clothes
  14. spell — magic
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. net — after costs
  17. court — of law
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. suit — to fit
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lean — thin
  23. net — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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