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: rock · cold · craft · deal · chest · rush · lash · branch

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. craft — boats
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rock — a stone
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cold — an illness
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. rock — music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. branch — a division
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. craft — a skill
  24. deal — an agreement

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