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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — a division
  8. last — to go on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — final
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — to be able to
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — letters
  24. can — a tin

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