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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — shares
  7. charge — in control
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of law
  17. stock — goods
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. branch — a division
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bore — to drill
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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