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: chair · field · current · staff · lie · spell · board · drill

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. field — farmland
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. current — electric
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spell — letters
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — a practice
  15. board — to get on
  16. spell — magic
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. board — a committee
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — the tool
  22. field — for sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. field — a subject

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