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 120 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: stem · mate · squash · board · tear · file · stick · swing

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — to come from
  6. swing — to play on
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — a committee
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mate — a friend
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — to rip
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a tool
  24. swing — music

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