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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. rash — hasty
  3. present — there
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hand — in cards
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — a contest
  13. present — a gift
  14. rash — a series
  15. present — the time now
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. press — a publisher
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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