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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bore — to tire
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. court — of a king
  6. pit — a hole
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. court — of law
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wake — a trail
  13. last — finally
  14. clip — a video
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — a practice
  20. last — final
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. court — for sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. clip — for paper

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