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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fine — high quality
  6. capital — money
  7. field — farmland
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. field — for sport
  13. capital — a city
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — a subject
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. branch — a division
  24. mine — for digging

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