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: wind · dip · cold · leaves · branch · chair · cell · race

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. race — the arms race
  5. branch — a division
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. dip — to sink
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. race — humankind
  13. cell — a phone
  14. race — a contest
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wind — moving air

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