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 124 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — a division
  4. fall — the season
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rest — what's left
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. squash — the sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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