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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. snap — to click
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a line
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. branch — a division
  24. mine — an explosive

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