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: branch · bat · court · roll · drill · sharp · fine · stem

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. roll — a cake
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. court — of law
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fine — all right
  15. drill — army training
  16. court — for sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. court — of a king
  20. roll — a list
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. branch — a division
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. branch — of a bank

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