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: lean · board · straw · wind · season · fine · bay · cold

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cold — not warm
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lean — thin
  16. cold — an illness
  17. board — a committee
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fine — high quality
  21. board — to get on
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. season — in sport
  24. lean — to bend

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