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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hand — in cards
  4. foot — a measure
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pop — soda
  10. branch — a division
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pop — to visit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cap — of ice
  23. date — the fruit
  24. hand — help

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