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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wind — moving air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tube — the underground
  8. staff — employees
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. date — the fruit
  11. season — of the year
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — a series
  15. mark — a trace
  16. branch — a division
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tube — a container
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. staff — a stick

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