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 · pit · deal · chest · object · tube · capital · wake

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. board — a committee
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chest — of your body
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. chest — a box
  11. capital — a city
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. object — an aim
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. object — a thing
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — a hole
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pit — in a race
  22. object — to protest
  23. capital — money
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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