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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. firm — decided
  4. season — in sport
  5. bank — of a river
  6. track — to keep track
  7. race — the arms race
  8. clip — a video
  9. season — of the year
  10. track — a path
  11. branch — a division
  12. track — a song
  13. race — humankind
  14. bank — for money
  15. race — a contest
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. firm — steady
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. firm — a company
  24. clip — for paper

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