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 · leaves · chest · kick · bore · last · saw · march

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chest — of your body
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — to tire
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chest — a box
  10. last — finally
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. last — final
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. chest — of your body
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — to go on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kick — in football
  22. bore — to drill
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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