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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. press — a publisher
  3. land — a country
  4. cap — of ice
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. band — a music group
  10. press — to push
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tear — to rip
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — ground
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. land — to come down
  24. bore — gave birth

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