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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. drill — a practice
  6. track — a path
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. branch — a division
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. season — of the year
  15. track — a song
  16. capital — money
  17. drill — army training
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. track — to keep track
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — in sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. nail — on a finger

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