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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tube — the underground
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bore — to drill
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lean — thin
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. tube — a container
  15. lean — to bend
  16. capital — a city
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. capital — money
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bat — for baseball

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