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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kid — child
  3. ball — a great time
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — a box
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. file — a line of people
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. march — music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. file — a document
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. branch — a division
  20. march — the month
  21. kid — to tease
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chest — of your body
  24. branch — of a tree

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