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 · land · bark · bat · cabinet · club · band · sharp

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. board — a committee
  5. bat — the animal
  6. land — a country
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. band — a music group
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. club — for golf
  19. land — ground
  20. bark — to shout
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — clever
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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