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: content · last · fall · game · board · chair · current · band

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — final
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. band — a music group
  7. fall — the season
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. band — a ring
  10. last — to go on
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — of water
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — electric
  16. last — finally
  17. current — happening now
  18. board — a committee
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fall — to drop
  21. board — to get on
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. band — a rubber band

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