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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. scale — in music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. toast — bread
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bass — the fish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ball — a round shape

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