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: court · pitch · branch · bark · bass · tear · track · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bark — to shout
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — a song
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. track — to keep track
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. track — a path
  20. bass — low music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. branch — a division

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