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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. branch — a division
  4. hand — in cards
  5. current — of water
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. season — in sport
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — to cut
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. current — happening now
  18. clip — a video
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. hand — help
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. can — to be able to
  23. current — electric
  24. can — a tin

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