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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — shares
  4. board — a committee
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cue — a signal
  7. last — finally
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cue — a hint
  13. board — to get on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stock — goods
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. last — final
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stock — a soup base

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