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: bat · drill · branch · deal · lean · court · trunk · pop

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lean — to bend
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lean — thin
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. drill — the tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pop — soda
  22. branch — a division
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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