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: lean · cap · track · bound · sharp · branch · hand · straw

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cap — a lid
  5. branch — a division
  6. lean — thin
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. track — to keep track
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cap — a hat
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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