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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. perch — the fish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mate — to breed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mate — a friend

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