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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rash — a series
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — a committee
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — to recline
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — a coil
  15. net — after costs
  16. board — to get on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spell — magic
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — for catching

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