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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ball — a dance
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. branch — a division
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ball — a great time

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