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 116 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: bass · bat · hide · dip · capital · bulb · mark · branch

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. branch — a division
  8. bulb — for light
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. dip — to sink
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — a city
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bass — the fish
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bat — the animal
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. capital — money
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bat — in an idiom

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