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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. branch — a division
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. charge — a price
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wound — an injury
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chair — a leader
  15. season — in sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — in control

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