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 120 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: racket · mouse · chest · season · trunk · stock · rule · branch

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rule — government
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rule — a law
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stock — shares
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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