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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. net — in sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rest — a break
  13. capital — money
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kick — in football
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. capital — a city
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bass — the instrument

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