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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. capital — money
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cell — a phone
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mine — for digging
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. board — a committee
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. board — to get on
  15. can — a tin
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. capital — a city
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fan — a supporter
  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