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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — for sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mug — a face
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. court — of law
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cold — an illness
  19. court — of a king
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. board — a committee
  23. bark — to shout
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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