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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. shower — rain
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bore — to drill
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. march — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bore — to tire
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — a hint

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