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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. track — to keep track
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. net — for catching
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. track — a song
  13. deal — to handle
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. branch — a division
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. mine — for digging
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. net — after costs
  23. track — a path
  24. press — newspapers

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