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: cap · degree · pitch · drill · saw · chip · cell · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chip — to eat
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cell — in biology
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — the tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chip — for betting
  23. drill — army training
  24. cell — a phone

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