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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. branch — a division
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. snap — to click
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pit — in a race
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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