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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chest — a box
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mug — a face
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. board — to get on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. board — a flat piece

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