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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — a division
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. chest — a box
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mine — for digging
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wax — in the ear

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