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: band · board · racket · bark · cell · content · swing · fan

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. board — a committee
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. swing — to play on
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a music group
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — to shout
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. content — happy
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cell — a phone
  20. band — a ring
  21. cell — in biology
  22. content — the amount
  23. swing — music
  24. content — videos and posts

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