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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. board — a committee
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ball — a great time
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. degree — an amount
  9. board — to get on
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. craft — boats
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — to confront
  17. pound — a weight
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ball — a dance
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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