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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bore — to tire
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — a hat
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. patient — a sick person

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