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

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. kid — child
  3. key — the most important part
  4. last — finally
  5. bore — to drill
  6. track — a path
  7. tube — a container
  8. key — for a lock
  9. clip — a video
  10. last — final
  11. key — in music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cold — not warm
  14. last — to go on
  15. clip — to cut
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — for paper
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cold — an illness
  23. kid — to tease
  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