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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bear — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. can — a tin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. can — to be able to
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. branch — a division
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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