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: bark · ball · board · nail · chest · last · lean · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chest — of your body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. board — to get on
  6. ball — a great time
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lean — thin
  11. chest — a box
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. board — a committee
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bark — to shout

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