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 120 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: mouse · bore · degree · branch · last · hand · track · capital

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. track — a path
  6. capital — a city
  7. bore — to drill
  8. track — a song
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. last — final
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. capital — money
  20. track — to keep track
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. degree — an amount

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