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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — electric
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. hand — help
  10. ground — the earth
  11. current — of water
  12. scale — size or range
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — a contest
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — a position
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. current — happening now
  24. scale — for weighing

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