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: game · fan · court · craft · nail · press · object · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. game — a match
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — to push
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — a division
  18. craft — boats
  19. press — a publisher
  20. court — of law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — a skill
  23. game — wild animals
  24. press — newspapers

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