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: board · cold · toast · bore · wake · straw · land · hide

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. toast — bread
  3. wake — a trail
  4. board — a committee
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — to get on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. land — ground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — to come down
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — the most admired

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