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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mate — to breed
  3. present — the time now
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — a partner
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bore — to tire
  13. field — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. field — farmland
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — there
  21. field — a subject
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. present — a gift

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