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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ground — a position
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cold — not warm
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. present — there
  8. foot — a measure
  9. present — a gift
  10. board — to get on
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ground — the earth
  14. present — the time now
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pit — in a race
  22. board — a committee
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cold — an illness

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