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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rush — hurry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — of water
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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