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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — a division
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chair — a leader
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — for catching
  16. suit — to fit
  17. content — the amount
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — happy
  23. ground — a position
  24. content — videos and posts

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