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: current · branch · shower · land · march · capital · mug · race

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. capital — a city
  3. land — ground
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. march — music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. current — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — a country
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. branch — a division
  16. capital — money
  17. land — to come down
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — to rob
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. mug — a face
  23. race — a contest
  24. mug — a cup

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