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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — a stick
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — of law
  14. staff — employees
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. swing — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — a box
  22. face — to confront
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. face — part of the head

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