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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. firm — steady
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kick — in football
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. firm — decided
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fan — a supporter

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