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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. branch — a division
  3. file — a document
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a word
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. root — of a plant
  13. shower — to wash
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bass — the fish
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bass — low music
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. root — the cause

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