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: racket · chest · mine · perch · degree · deal · face · branch

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — to confront
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chest — a box
  12. branch — a division
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. degree — an amount
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — from a university
  17. perch — the fish
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chest — of your body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — part of the head
  24. racket — for tennis

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