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: plane · capital · file · cap · board · bowl · bank · spring

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. capital — a city
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bank — for money
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. file — a tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cap — a hat
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — the season
  15. bank — of a river
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. file — a document
  18. spring — of water
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. plane — a tool
  24. board — to get on

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