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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. current — of water
  6. fork — in a road
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — to recline
  11. race — the arms race
  12. branch — a division
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. race — a contest
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. field — for sport
  23. race — humankind
  24. lie — an untruth

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