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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fall — the season
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. board — to get on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. row — a line
  17. band — a ring
  18. fall — to drop
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. field — a subject
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. field — farmland
  23. snap — to click
  24. field — for sport

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