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: hide · shower · nail · spring · game · board · bound · fan

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — tied together
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. board — a committee
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — a match
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — a coil
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spring — the season
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — of water
  18. bound — certain
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — wild animals
  21. board — to get on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. nail — for a hammer

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