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: game · board · craft · cold · press · branch · rash · racket

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — wild animals
  4. craft — boats
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. branch — a division
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. press — to push
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. game — a match
  13. board — a committee
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. press — a publisher
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. branch — of a tree
  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