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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. club — for golf
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. branch — a division
  10. land — a country
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. land — ground
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pit — a hole
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pit — in a race
  21. land — to come down
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — a group

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