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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. file — a document
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — a division
  8. pop — soda
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pop — to visit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pop — music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. file — a line of people
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a tool
  20. ground — the earth
  21. march — the month
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. branch — of a bank

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