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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — letters
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — temperature
  14. row — to paddle
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — from a university
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — magic
  24. row — a line

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