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 124 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — a video
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. object — a thing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. object — to protest
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cell — in biology
  20. clip — for paper
  21. branch — a division
  22. object — an aim
  23. cell — a phone
  24. clip — to cut

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