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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stock — goods
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — shares
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wake — a trail
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. file — a tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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