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 · bass · staff · spell · calf · bound · board · chest

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chest — of your body
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bound — obliged
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — certain
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chest — of your body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chest — a box
  22. spell — magic
  23. board — a committee
  24. staff — employees

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