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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fork — in a road
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. branch — a division
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. track — to keep track
  12. sharp — clever
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rock — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — a song
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rock — a stone

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