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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. board — a committee
  2. bank — of a river
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pop — music
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pop — soda
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — a subject
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — humankind
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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