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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — a committee
  3. track — to keep track
  4. chest — a box
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. board — to get on
  10. track — a song
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a path
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mate — a partner
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wind — moving air
  24. date — the fruit

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