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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. last — final
  3. root — the cause
  4. mug — a face
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. hand — help
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. swing — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — a division
  16. mug — a cup
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mug — to rob
  21. swing — in golf
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — to go on

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