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: racket · face · firm · chip · prune · band · branch · march

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. firm — decided
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — for betting
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — a company
  11. band — a ring
  12. chip — to eat
  13. face — part of the head
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. firm — steady
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. branch — a division
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — music

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