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 · bowl · lash · wound · band · toast · court · branch

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. court — of law
  4. board — a committee
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. toast — bread
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. band — a ring
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. court — of a king
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. branch — a division
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a music group
  24. branch — of a tree

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