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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. net — in sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — all right
  11. branch — a division
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. court — for sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fine — high quality
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. court — of law
  20. net — for catching
  21. court — of a king
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. leaves — to go away

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