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: mate · board · game · present · tube · wind · court · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. court — of a king
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. game — a match
  6. tube — a container
  7. mate — to breed
  8. roll — a list
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. board — to get on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. present — the time now
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — a committee
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — there
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. present — a gift
  23. game — wild animals
  24. tube — the underground

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