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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · saw · leaves · clip · date · wind · bore · coach

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. bore — to drill
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bore — to tire
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. clip — for paper
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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