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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rash — a series
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. field — a subject
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. clip — a video
  9. field — for sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. field — farmland
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wake — a trail
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. deal — an agreement

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