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: capital · hand · board · trunk · chair · nail · pop · toast

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. capital — money
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pop — to visit
  8. capital — a city
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. board — a committee
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pop — soda
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. board — to get on
  17. toast — bread
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pop — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. board — a flat piece

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