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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. file — a line of people
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rush — hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. dip — to sink
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a document
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. season — of the year

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