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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ground — crushed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — rain
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. game — wild animals
  19. shower — to wash
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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