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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — to rip
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. perch — the fish
  16. hand — help
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. branch — a division
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — from crying

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