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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. deal — to handle
  9. scale — in music
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. tube — the underground
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — a division
  17. spring — the season
  18. cell — in biology
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — of water
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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