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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — to get on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — in a road
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chest — a box
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spring — of water
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. calf — of the leg

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