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 116 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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stem — to come from
  11. drill — army training
  12. game — a match
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — the tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. vault — a safe
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — a practice
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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