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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. branch — a division
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. snap — to click
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — after costs
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. capital — money
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a city
  22. net — in sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lean — thin

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