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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. tube — a container
  3. board — to get on
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. board — a committee
  7. cold — not warm
  8. scale — size or range
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. scale — in music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. date — the fruit
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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