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: fan · straw · branch · arm · bat · stock · shower · jam

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bat — the animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — rain
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. fan — a supporter

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