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: capital · fan · board · patient · file · band · coach · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — to get on
  4. band — a music group
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a city
  9. foot — a measure
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. band — a ring
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. file — a document
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. file — a tool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. file — a line of people
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. board — a committee
  24. fan — to cool the air

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