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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. game — a match
  8. spell — letters
  9. spring — the season
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ground — a position
  12. lean — thin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ground — crushed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — magic
  17. spring — of water
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rock — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rock — to move gently

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