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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. court — for sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. court — of law
  5. pit — a hole
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. branch — a division
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. dip — to sink
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — of a king
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pit — in a race
  23. tube — a container
  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