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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rule — a law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — of a king
  14. dip — to sink
  15. land — to come down
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rule — government
  18. court — of law
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bore — to drill
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bear — the animal

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