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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a leader
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. march — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. date — the fruit
  23. branch — a division
  24. date — on the calendar

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