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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. staff — a stick
  3. object — a thing
  4. track — to keep track
  5. object — to protest
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. march — the month
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. march — music
  21. row — a line
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cabinet — ministers

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