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: chest · board · clip · present · branch · trunk · land · suit

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. suit — to fit
  3. board — to get on
  4. present — a gift
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. clip — a video
  9. suit — in cards
  10. land — to come down
  11. chest — of your body
  12. present — there
  13. chest — of your body
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. board — a committee
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — a division
  21. clip — to cut
  22. suit — clothes
  23. present — the time now
  24. branch — of a tree

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