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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. lean — thin
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — not warm
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. deal — to handle
  15. drill — army training
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. board — a committee
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lean — to bend
  22. board — to get on
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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