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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fine — all right
  5. face — to confront
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. file — a tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. scale — in music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. scale — size or range
  15. file — a line of people
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a document
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — in sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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