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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. drill — army training
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. field — a subject
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. drill — the tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bore — to tire
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bore — to drill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. field — farmland
  24. perch — the fish

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