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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — child
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. board — a committee
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cold — not warm

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