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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — letters
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — a short time
  15. scale — in music
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spell — magic
  18. band — a ring
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. scale — size or range
  21. board — a committee
  22. band — a music group
  23. wax — to grow
  24. kid — child

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