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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — after costs
  8. mate — a partner
  9. game — wild animals
  10. season — of the year
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. file — a tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a document
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — to rip
  23. file — a line of people
  24. shower — rain

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