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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. game — wild animals
  6. current — electric
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. branch — a division
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mark — a trace
  14. current — happening now
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stem — to come from
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. current — of water
  22. pitch — completely
  23. file — a tool
  24. mark — a grade

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