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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. branch — a division
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — to go on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — happening now
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. court — of a king
  11. capital — a city
  12. pop — music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. board — to get on
  15. current — of water
  16. court — for sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. current — electric
  20. last — finally
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pop — soda
  23. court — of law
  24. pop — to visit

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