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: spring · band · face · board · key · fan · roll · saw

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. roll — a cake
  3. board — a committee
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a ring
  7. board — to get on
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spring — a coil
  10. roll — a list
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a music group
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. key — in music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fan — a supporter

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