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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — the animal
  3. key — in music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. last — to go on
  10. key — for a lock
  11. last — final
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — to shout
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. kid — to tease
  23. last — finally
  24. stand — on your feet

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