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: file · branch · pit · object · cold · cabinet · bat · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cold — not warm
  6. object — an aim
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — a series
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. file — a tool
  11. object — a thing
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. object — to protest
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cold — an illness

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