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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chest — a box
  3. ground — crushed
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cap — a lid
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bank — for money
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chest — of your body
  16. branch — a division
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. bank — for money
  21. row — a line
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — of a bank

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