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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. capital — money
  3. kid — to tease
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. capital — a city
  6. saw — the tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pop — music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. branch — a division
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pop — soda
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pop — to visit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. temple — side of the head

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