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: pitcher · lean · branch · sharp · plane · fan · cold · net

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lean — thin
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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