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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stock — goods
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. shower — rain
  12. kid — child
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pound — a weight
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — shares
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. key — in music
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. key — for a lock

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