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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hand — in cards
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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