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 · branch · sharp · band · game · wound · kick · capital

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — a city
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. band — a music group
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. band — a ring
  16. kick — in football
  17. board — to get on
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. capital — money
  21. branch — a division
  22. game — a match
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a rubber band

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