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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — rain
  4. branch — a division
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fall — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. rule — a law
  12. firm — a company
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rule — government
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. firm — decided
  20. content — happy
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — the amount
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. firm — steady

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