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: toast · vault · mine · fine · branch · hand · capital · field

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hand — help
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. capital — a city
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. toast — bread
  17. fine — all right
  18. capital — money
  19. fine — high quality
  20. field — for sport
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. field — farmland
  23. vault — a safe
  24. field — a subject

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