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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of law
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mug — a face
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — to drill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — rain
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — for sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bore — to tire
  24. court — of a king

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