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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — there
  3. scale — in music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — size or range
  11. present — a gift
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hand — help
  23. spring — of water
  24. present — the time now

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