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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. object — to protest
  3. race — humankind
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — size or range
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. shower — rain
  10. stock — goods
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — shares
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. race — the arms race
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — to wash
  18. scale — in music
  19. lean — thin
  20. race — a contest
  21. object — a thing
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. object — an aim

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