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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cold — not warm
  7. object — a thing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — a line
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. object — to protest
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. branch — a division
  16. plane — a tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. object — an aim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. march — music
  23. row — to paddle
  24. plane — in geometry

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