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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. press — a publisher
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. chest — of your body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chest — a box
  15. press — to push
  16. file — a document
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — to cut

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