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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — rain
  4. board — a committee
  5. pop — soda
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. hand — help
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. hand — in cards
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. rule — a law
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rock — music
  22. pop — music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pop — to visit

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