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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bore — to drill
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. spring — the season
  6. rest — a break
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tear — to rip
  13. game — a match
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — of water
  24. hand — in cards

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