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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. present — the time now
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. squash — to crush
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hand — help
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. present — there
  21. rush — hurry
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. wound — an injury

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