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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — from a university
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — wild animals
  6. board — to get on
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — finally
  9. lean — to bend
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. game — a match
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lean — thin
  17. last — to go on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. swing — music
  22. last — final
  23. board — a committee
  24. lean — to rest against

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