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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. season — of the year
  4. march — music
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — a phone
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — to go on
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. branch — a division
  22. cell — in biology
  23. season — in sport
  24. last — final

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