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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kid — child
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ground — a position
  9. row — a line
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ground — the earth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. chest — a box
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chest — of your body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. row — to paddle
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. chest — of your body

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