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: board · chest · scale · object · sharp · bear · season · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. scale — in music
  4. object — a thing
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. object — to protest
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hand — in cards
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. board — to get on
  12. chest — a box
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — an aim
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — in sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — a committee

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