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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. roll — a cake
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. branch — a division
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — a trace
  7. land — to come down
  8. season — in sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. land — a country
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. roll — a list
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a grade
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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