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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mug — a face
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. capital — a city
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. kid — child
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. drill — army training

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