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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. branch — a division
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mark — a trace
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. mark — a grade
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. vault — a safe

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