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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — for digging
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. board — to get on
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mine — belonging to me

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