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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. face — part of the head
  6. club — for golf
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wax — to grow
  12. board — to get on
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. face — to confront
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cold — an illness
  22. can — to be able to
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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