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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fall — to drop
  4. band — a ring
  5. clip — a video
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. degree — temperature
  10. band — a music group
  11. clip — for paper
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fall — the season
  17. board — a committee
  18. stand — to bear
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. band — a rubber band

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