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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — of ice
  11. land — ground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — a weight
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. land — to come down
  16. march — music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. land — a country
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mate — to breed
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fan — to cool the air

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