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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. clip — a video
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — the time now
  8. key — in music
  9. land — ground
  10. key — for a lock
  11. race — the arms race
  12. clip — to cut
  13. key — the most important part
  14. drill — army training
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — a practice
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bore — to tire
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bore — to drill

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