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 · saw · bear · swing · degree · fan · face · land

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. face — to point toward
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. land — a country
  13. face — to confront
  14. board — a committee
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. land — ground
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — part of the head
  21. swing — in golf
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. board — to get on

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