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 116 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: fall · mark · key · pitcher · bat · craft · clip · branch

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. branch — a division
  3. key — for a lock
  4. craft — boats
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. key — in music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — a video
  21. fall — the season
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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