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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spring — the season
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. file — a document
  9. bat — the animal
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bore — to drill
  21. file — a tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. kick — in football

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