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: leaves · pitcher · fall · mate · rule · net · branch · bat

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mate — a friend
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. net — in sport
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — after costs
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — the season
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rule — a law
  24. fall — to drop

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