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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rest — what's left
  3. charge — in control
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — help
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. can — to be able to
  12. clip — a video
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. charge — a price
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. rest — a break
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fan — to cool the air

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