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: board · nail · cold · kid · object · foot · branch · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. kid — to tease
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. board — to get on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — to protest
  14. cold — not warm
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. branch — a division
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. foot — a measure
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — child
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cold — an illness

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