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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bore — to drill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bore — to tire
  9. spell — a short time
  10. kid — child
  11. spell — letters
  12. net — for catching
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spell — magic
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — a hat
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. net — after costs
  24. tube — the underground

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