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: present · board · drill · arm · game · degree · straw · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. degree — from a university
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. present — there
  5. game — a match
  6. board — to get on
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stand — to bear
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. degree — temperature
  17. board — a committee
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. present — the time now
  24. game — wild animals

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