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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — army training
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ground — a position
  14. drill — the tool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — crushed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — the season
  24. ground — the earth

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