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: fine · can · cold · shower · game · board · drill · branch

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — a practice
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — not warm
  5. game — wild animals
  6. board — a committee
  7. cold — an illness
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. shower — rain
  11. drill — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fine — high quality
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — army training
  16. branch — a division
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a tree

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