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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — final
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. face — to confront
  13. land — ground
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — to go on
  16. land — a country
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. face — to point toward
  20. last — finally
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chest — a box

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