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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mate — a friend
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — to breed
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mate — a partner
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — a line
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bore — to tire
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bound — obliged

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