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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. charge — a price
  3. land — a country
  4. date — the fruit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. charge — in control
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — to come down
  12. snap — to click
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bore — to tire
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bore — to drill
  17. charge — electricity
  18. dip — to sink
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. dip — a sauce

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