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: mine · clip · bore · suit · temple · pit · land · branch

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pit — in a race
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mine — for digging
  16. suit — to fit
  17. land — a country
  18. branch — a division
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. suit — clothes

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