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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. file — a document
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. court — for sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. file — a tool

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