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 116 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: last · game · kid · board · cap · dip · wind · track

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. board — a committee
  4. cap — a hat
  5. track — a song
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — a path
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — child
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wind — moving air
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. dip — to sink

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