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: row · trunk · sharp · current · capital · ball · board · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — money
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. ball — a dance
  15. current — of water
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. current — happening now
  18. row — to paddle
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. capital — a city
  24. row — a line

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