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: march · perch · pit · spell · ground · hide · branch · deal

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spell — letters
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spell — a short time
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pit — a hole
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ground — a position
  18. pit — in a race
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. branch — a division
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. spell — magic

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