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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fall — to drop
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. scale — in music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fall — the season
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — a contest
  11. branch — a division
  12. fall — to drop
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. tear — to rip
  17. race — humankind
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. dip — to sink
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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