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

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. drill — army training
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — the animal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — music
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — a practice

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