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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. ground — crushed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. toast — bread
  7. bore — to drill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — to trim
  12. present — there
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ground — the earth
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — a position
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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