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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — money
  4. net — after costs
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. board — a committee
  13. net — for catching
  14. capital — a city
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. net — in sport
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. board — to get on
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — help

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