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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. present — the time now
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stock — shares
  7. race — the arms race
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — after costs
  11. race — humankind
  12. present — there
  13. race — a contest
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — goods
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — a gift
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — a weight

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