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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rock — music
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cell — a phone
  11. branch — a division
  12. cell — in biology
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chip — for betting
  19. track — a song
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. scale — in music
  24. branch — of a bank

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