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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. season — of the year
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. season — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. swing — music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. swing — to play on
  20. last — finally
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. swing — in golf
  24. last — to go on

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