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

Word bank: ground · hand · file · club · chair · deal · board · capital

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. file — a document
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ground — a position
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — in cards
  10. board — a committee
  11. ground — crushed
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. ground — the earth
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. club — for dancing
  19. capital — money
  20. club — for golf
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. club — a group
  24. chair — to sit on

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