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: hand · spring · club · date · dip · branch · march · court

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. court — of law
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — the season
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — a group
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — for dancing
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — help
  15. branch — a division
  16. club — for golf
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spring — a coil
  19. court — for sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — in cards
  24. dip — to sink

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