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: firm · rule · toast · file · patient · branch · hand · pop

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pop — soda
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. hand — help
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pop — music
  14. firm — decided
  15. file — a document
  16. toast — bread
  17. hand — in cards
  18. firm — steady
  19. rule — a law
  20. firm — a company
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. toast — the most admired

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