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: mine · last · prune · bore · firm · cold · temple · rash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. firm — decided
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cold — an illness
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — to tire
  9. last — to go on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — final
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rash — hasty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — not warm
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — to drill
  21. firm — a company
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rash — a series
  24. mine — for digging

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