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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bass — the fish
  3. board — a committee
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — a phone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cell — in biology
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. capital — money
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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