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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. field — farmland
  4. spring — a coil
  5. race — the arms race
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. race — humankind
  13. roll — a cake
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. field — for sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. field — a subject
  20. deal — to handle
  21. track — a song
  22. roll — a list
  23. bore — to tire
  24. race — a contest

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