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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — thin
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — to bend
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. march — music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rest — a break
  13. kid — child
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. branch — a division
  16. cell — a phone
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a music group
  20. cell — in biology
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — hurry
  24. band — a ring

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