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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — from a university
  8. game — wild animals
  9. degree — temperature
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. press — newspapers
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cold — an illness
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. branch — a division
  17. bank — of a river
  18. press — to push
  19. degree — an amount
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bank — for money
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cold — not warm
  24. patient — a sick person

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