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: bowl · court · club · date · bat · branch · bore · mark

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. club — for golf
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — a division
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bore — to drill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of law
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — the animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bore — to tire
  19. court — of a king
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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