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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tube — a container
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. branch — a division
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rock — music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. squash — to crush
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — a subject
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. field — for sport
  23. rock — a stone
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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