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 116 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: drill · field · land · cap · content · dip · bore · pit

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. field — for sport
  2. bore — to tire
  3. drill — army training
  4. cap — a hat
  5. content — happy
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. pit — a hole
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — the amount
  17. land — to come down
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — a subject
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. drill — the tool
  23. content — videos and posts
  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