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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mark — a trace
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bore — to drill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a tool
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cue — for pool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. file — a document
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fork — in a road

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