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: bass · field · wind · rest · cue · board · straw · craft

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cue — a signal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bass — low music
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rest — a break
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bass — the fish
  18. field — a subject
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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