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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — low music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bound — obliged
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — to get on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — a lid

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