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: shower · wind · chair · rest · branch · racket · date · swing

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — a leader
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. date — the fruit
  7. swing — in golf
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. shower — to wash
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — rain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. branch — a division
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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