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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · racket · spell · chest · ruler · lean · board · kid

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. chest — a box
  6. spell — letters
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. board — to get on
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. board — a committee
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kid — child
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — a flat piece

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