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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — of water
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — a box
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. rest — a break
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — for catching
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — a division
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. net — in sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — after costs

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