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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kid — child
  6. file — a tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — of water
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. kid — to tease
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — a coil
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. swing — music
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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