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 116 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ground — crushed
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spring — of water
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. root — the cause
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — a coil
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bore — to tire
  20. ground — a position
  21. root — of a word
  22. spring — the season
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ground — the earth

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