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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. season — of the year
  3. court — of law
  4. tube — a container
  5. court — of a king
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — a weight
  10. kid — to tease
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. board — to get on
  15. branch — a division
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. board — a committee
  22. season — in sport
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pound — for dogs

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