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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — a cup
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cold — an illness
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mug — a face
  13. craft — boats
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. band — a music group
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mug — to rob
  24. board — a committee

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