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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — final
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. march — the month
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. branch — a division
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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