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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — a coil
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hand — help
  13. spring — the season
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — army training

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