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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — in sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — goods
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. cell — a phone
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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