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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cell — in biology
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cold — an illness
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. degree — temperature
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. swing — in golf
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cold — not warm
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cell — a phone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. degree — from a university
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. branch — a division

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