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: mine · branch · bay · clip · degree · rock · court · staff

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. clip — to cut
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mine — for digging
  8. court — of law
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — of a king
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. court — for sport
  15. clip — a video
  16. branch — a division
  17. rock — music
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — a horse colour

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