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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lean — thin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. drill — army training
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a great time
  12. clip — a video
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rush — hurry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. drill — the tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rush — to hurry

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