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 is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. shower — rain
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — hasty
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fine — all right
  10. branch — a division
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cap — a hat
  13. content — happy
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — the amount
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. shower — to wash
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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