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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — army training
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stem — to come from
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — rain

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