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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cold — not warm
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. face — to point toward
  8. branch — a division
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. lean — thin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. face — to confront
  17. root — the cause
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lean — to bend
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — to roll

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