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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — a division
  4. tube — a container
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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