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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rash — a series
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kid — child
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. key — in music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rash — hasty
  16. squash — to crush
  17. key — the most important part
  18. squash — the sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. present — a gift
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. present — the time now
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to tire

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