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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. clip — a video
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. march — music
  6. bound — certain
  7. face — to confront
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bound — tied together
  13. march — the month
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bound — obliged
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. kid — child
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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