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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. branch — a division
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. swing — music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fall — the season
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. swing — to play on
  17. degree — temperature
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lie — an untruth

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