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: ball · wake · face · lie · pitch · mine · bore · branch

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. face — to point toward
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to confront
  14. branch — a division
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — to recline
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ball — a dance

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