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 · chest · prune · stick · charge · kid · saw · season

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. prune — to trim
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chest — a box
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — in control
  19. season — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. season — of the year

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