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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cue — for pool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — a hint
  12. drill — army training
  13. hand — help
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — in cards
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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