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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spring — of water
  4. board — to get on
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. court — for sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. land — ground
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. court — of law
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — the season
  18. hand — in cards
  19. branch — a division
  20. land — to come down
  21. tube — a container
  22. court — of a king
  23. board — a committee
  24. tube — the underground

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