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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. branch — a division
  4. can — to be able to
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bass — low music
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. can — a tin
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. can — a tin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — of law
  23. land — a country
  24. court — of a king

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