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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. roll — a list
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — after costs
  9. content — happy
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bore — to tire
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. net — for catching
  17. bound — certain
  18. content — the amount
  19. net — in sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. cold — not warm
  24. roll — a cake

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