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: tear · march · object · board · land · wake · hand · ball

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. land — a country
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — the month
  6. object — a thing
  7. march — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hand — help
  11. wake — a trail
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. tear — to rip
  14. land — ground
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. land — to come down
  19. object — an aim
  20. board — a committee
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — in cards
  24. march — the month

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