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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — a gift
  3. net — in sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. present — there
  6. race — a contest
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. band — a ring
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. present — the time now
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — humankind
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. branch — a division
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. race — the arms race

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