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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bound — obliged
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. branch — a division
  7. rest — a break
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — not warm
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — to eat
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — certain
  19. chip — for betting
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. branch — of a tree

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