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: hand · drill · shower · clip · board · rash · coach · field

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. board — to get on
  3. drill — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hand — in cards
  8. board — a committee
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — army training
  13. clip — a video
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. drill — a practice
  16. field — a subject
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hand — help

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