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 120 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: sharp · rash · cue · board · capital · branch · cell · stem

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cue — for pool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — to get on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rash — a series
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. cell — a phone
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. branch — a division
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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