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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a line
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bore — to tire
  5. board — a committee
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bore — to drill
  8. track — a path
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cold — not warm
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. row — to paddle
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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