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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. roll — a cake
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — a line
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — for catching
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. file — a tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. file — a document
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. roll — a list

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