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 124 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. object — an aim
  3. ground — a position
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — clever
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to click
  12. object — to protest
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — crushed
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. branch — a division
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chest — a box
  23. object — a thing
  24. coach — a trainer

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