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: present · branch · cold · rule · ground · file · vault · last

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. last — finally
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. present — there
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. last — final
  13. rule — government
  14. present — the time now
  15. ground — a position
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cold — not warm
  21. present — a gift
  22. last — to go on
  23. rule — a law
  24. vault — a safe

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