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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bear — the animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cold — not warm
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — to fit
  18. branch — a division
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — rain
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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