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 120 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: face · land · hand · rock · bound · board · net · spell

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. land — a country
  3. net — in sport
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — ground
  7. rock — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spell — magic
  11. rock — a stone
  12. face — to confront
  13. land — to come down
  14. spell — a short time
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — letters
  17. bound — certain
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. face — part of the head
  20. hand — in cards
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — obliged

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