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: foot · chest · firm · branch · roll · tear · capital · rock

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — a stone
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. capital — money
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. firm — steady
  13. capital — a city
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. chest — of your body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. roll — a cake
  20. tear — from crying
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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