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: straw · bark · board · squash · file · racket · bound · wind

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. file — a document
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — tied together
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bark — to shout
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bound — certain
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bound — obliged
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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