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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fine — all right
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pit — in a race
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stock — goods
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stock — shares
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pit — a hole

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