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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — to shout
  7. field — for sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. field — a subject
  12. band — a ring
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. row — a line
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — a friend
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. field — farmland
  19. board — to get on
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mate — to breed
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. row — to paddle
  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