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 120 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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — in a road
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. branch — a division
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. capital — a city
  21. bulb — for light
  22. net — for catching
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. branch — of a bank

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