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: nail · board · wound · mine · tube · last · court · root

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. last — to go on
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. court — of law
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — for digging
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. root — the cause
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. root — of a word
  13. last — final
  14. board — to get on
  15. court — for sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — a container
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of a king
  23. last — finally
  24. board — a flat piece

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