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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stock — shares
  4. current — happening now
  5. toast — bread
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — a division
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stock — goods
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — a series
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — letters

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