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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rock — a stone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. row — a line
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — farmland
  14. roll — a cake
  15. board — a committee
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. field — for sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. board — to get 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