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

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — to come down
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — for catching
  9. date — the fruit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. board — to get on
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. board — a committee
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. staff — a stick
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. staff — employees
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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