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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · fall · race · firm · branch · degree

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. firm — a company
  3. branch — a division
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — an amount
  9. firm — steady
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — a contest
  14. fall — the season
  15. firm — decided
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. race — humankind

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