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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. last — final
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — a committee
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. root — of a word
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — finally
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. last — to go on
  18. root — the cause
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cue — a signal
  23. row — a line
  24. board — a flat piece

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