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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. spring — the season
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. march — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — a division
  20. lie — to recline
  21. march — the month
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chair — to sit 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