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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — to drill
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — a committee
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — a line
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. row — to paddle
  15. clip — a video
  16. board — to get on
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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