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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. hand — help
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. drill — a practice
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stock — shares
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — goods
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — a series
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bore — to tire
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — rain
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bore — to drill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hide — animal skin
  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