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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. track — a song
  11. present — the time now
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chair — a leader
  18. present — a gift
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. track — a path
  22. present — there
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cold — an illness

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