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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kid — child
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — music
  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