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 120 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: spring · board · cell · straw · object · fine · pound · wind

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spring — of water
  4. object — a thing
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fine — all right
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wind — moving air
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cell — a phone
  17. board — to get on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — the season
  21. cell — in biology
  22. board — a committee
  23. object — to protest
  24. wind — to turn a key

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