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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. last — to go on
  3. bat — the animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. last — final
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. drill — the tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. degree — temperature
  12. branch — a division
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. degree — from a university
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to click
  22. last — finally
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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