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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mate — a partner
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bass — the fish
  6. charge — a price
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. capital — money
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. capital — a city
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bass — low music
  14. roll — a list
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. foot — a measure
  17. charge — in control
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mate — to breed
  21. kid — child
  22. charge — electricity
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mate — a friend

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