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: pit · wound · land · squash · branch · mouse · ball · march

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. march — music
  12. land — a country
  13. pit — in a race
  14. branch — a division
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. march — the month
  23. land — ground
  24. squash — the vegetable

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