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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bass — low music
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. hand — help
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to drill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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