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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. toast — bread
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. branch — a division
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — for catching
  12. tear — from crying
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. net — after costs
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — in sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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