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: board · capital · net · bowl · pound · clip · wax · deal

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. net — for catching
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. deal — to handle
  14. capital — money
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. clip — to cut
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pound — a weight

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