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

Word bank: march · branch · bowl · club · snap · bore · land · stick

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. land — ground
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to tire
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — to drill
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. land — to come down
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. land — a country
  16. club — a group
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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