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: field · board · march · object · rule · tube · row · cap

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. object — an aim
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. object — to protest
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. tube — a container
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — for sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. board — a committee
  14. cap — of ice
  15. march — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — a lid
  19. object — a thing
  20. row — a line
  21. field — farmland
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — the underground
  24. board — to get on

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