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 116 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spring — of water
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spring — a coil
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. game — a match
  23. degree — an amount
  24. safe — out of danger

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