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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. track — a path
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bear — the animal
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — a song
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bore — gave birth

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