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: court · staff · arm · wound · branch · board · row · fall

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fall — the season
  3. staff — employees
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. board — a committee
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a line
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. branch — a division
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — a stick
  18. board — to get on
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. court — of law
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. arm — part of the body

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