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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. shower — rain
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mug — a cup
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mug — a face
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. last — to go on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. last — final
  23. bore — to tire
  24. calf — of the leg

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