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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. field — for sport
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fall — the season
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — to tire
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — a subject
  14. fall — to drop
  15. board — to get on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. kick — in football
  19. board — a committee
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — to drill
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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