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 120 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: game · straw · face · band · rash · temple · branch · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. band — a ring
  4. capital — a city
  5. face — to confront
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rash — a series
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. game — wild animals
  11. face — part of the head
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rash — hasty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. branch — a division
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. face — to point toward
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — on the skin

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