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 · wave · land · arm · stock · bear · bank · court

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. court — of a king
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. land — to come down
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bank — for money
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bank — for money
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. land — ground
  12. board — a committee
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. land — a country
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — of law

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