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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. toast — bread
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. track — a song
  10. wound — an injury
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. branch — a division
  13. last — finally
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. scale — size or range
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. scale — in music

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