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

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. swing — to play on
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mark — a grade
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mark — a trace
  12. spell — letters
  13. swing — in golf
  14. degree — an amount
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. swing — music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. chip — for betting

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