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: chip · wake · tear · branch · mug · roll · court · drill

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — a division
  8. roll — a list
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — a face
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. court — for sport
  16. tear — to rip
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — for betting
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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