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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wind — moving air
  8. row — a line
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wake — a trail
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. band — a music group
  16. board — to get on
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. band — a ring
  23. board — a committee
  24. game — a match

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