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: current · board · degree · lean · tear · field · mouse · safe

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — thin
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. current — of water
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — happening now
  14. board — a committee
  15. degree — an amount
  16. board — to get on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. field — farmland
  21. degree — temperature
  22. current — electric
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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