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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. club — a group
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — of a word
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — for dancing
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. object — to protest
  16. root — the cause
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. club — for golf
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. bark — to shout
  22. object — an aim
  23. root — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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