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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. field — for sport
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chest — of your body
  5. field — a subject
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — the season
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a dance
  16. field — farmland
  17. mug — a face
  18. chest — a box
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mug — to rob

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