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: kick · cell · rash · branch · land · game · pit · tear

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cell — a phone
  3. land — a country
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. land — to come down
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. land — ground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. kick — in football
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rash — on the skin
  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