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: board · object · root · race · chest · chair · bound · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chest — of your body
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — certain
  7. chair — a leader
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — to get on
  10. object — to protest
  11. root — of a word
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chest — of your body
  14. root — the cause
  15. bound — obliged
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. object — an aim
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. board — a committee
  20. race — a contest
  21. chest — a box
  22. root — of a plant
  23. object — a thing
  24. bound — tied together

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