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 120 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. hand — help
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fall — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. scale — in music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. scale — size or range

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