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: leaves · temple · sharp · march · chip · net · mine · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — clever
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — for catching
  6. march — the month
  7. net — after costs
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mine — for digging
  13. march — music
  14. drill — army training
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — in sport
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. sharp — with an edge

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