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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. root — of a word
  3. fine — all right
  4. season — in sport
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. season — of the year
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — the cause
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cell — a phone
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fine — high quality
  21. branch — a division
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. root — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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