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: board · fall · coach · band · sharp · bass · spell · march

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. board — to get on
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — the season
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bass — low music
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fall — to drop
  24. board — a committee

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