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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bore — to drill
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to tire
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lean — thin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spell — letters
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. root — of a word
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spell — magic
  13. current — happening now
  14. key — for a lock
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. lean — to bend
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. root — the cause
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mine — for digging
  24. spell — a short time

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