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: fork · swing · rule · sharp · cold · object · cabinet · branch

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. swing — music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fork — in a road
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. rule — a law
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. swing — to play on
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. branch — a division

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