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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bore — to tire
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — ground
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. land — a country
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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