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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. branch — a division
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — low music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. can — a tin
  9. file — a tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rest — a break
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. nail — for a hammer

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