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 · board · stand · key · degree · band · bark · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. hand — help
  6. board — a committee
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. board — to get on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. band — a ring
  18. march — music
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a music group
  22. march — the month
  23. key — the most important part
  24. hand — in cards

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