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: branch · dip · kid · hand · arm · pit · row · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hand — help
  5. branch — a division
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. row — to paddle
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kid — child
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pit — a hole
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. row — a line
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. track — a song
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. branch — of a tree

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