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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. face — to point toward
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. squash — to crush
  5. face — to confront
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rule — government
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spell — magic
  12. rule — a law
  13. spell — a short time
  14. staff — employees
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. squash — the sport
  17. face — part of the head
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a document
  21. season — in sport
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — employees

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