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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. branch — a division
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stock — shares
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. current — happening now
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. current — electric
  20. mine — for digging
  21. current — of water
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stock — goods

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