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 116 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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — a stick
  6. degree — an amount
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — letters
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — temperature
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — magic
  21. staff — employees
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. swing — to play on

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