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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. band — a music group
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. club — for golf
  10. staff — a stick
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. board — a committee
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — hurry
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. club — a group
  20. board — to get on
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rush — a thrill

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