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: roll · degree · wound · bat · mug · branch · hide · saw

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. roll — a cake
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. degree — from a university
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wound — an injury
  17. branch — a division
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — a list
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — the animal

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