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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. degree — from a university
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — an amount
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. court — of a king
  16. clip — a video
  17. bore — to tire
  18. degree — temperature
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — to cut
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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