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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. club — for golf
  3. season — in sport
  4. club — a group
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — a contest
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. race — the arms race
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. race — humankind
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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