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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. tube — a container
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. craft — boats
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — to get on
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bear — the animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. field — a subject
  16. tube — the underground
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. board — a committee
  24. straw — a straw man

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