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: drill · cold · branch · cabinet · capital · foot · rock · last

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. capital — a city
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. last — to go on
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. last — finally
  10. capital — money
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. branch — a division
  14. drill — a practice
  15. last — final
  16. rock — music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — army training
  21. cold — an illness
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rock — a stone

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