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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spring — of water
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pass — a permit
  6. game — a match
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — to paddle
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. row — a line
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. board — a committee
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. rash — a series
  22. spring — a coil
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — the season

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