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: bore · mine · bat · march · temple · branch · foot · bass

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bass — low music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bass — the fish
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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