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 120 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: bore · object · row · game · clip · scale · squash · shower

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. game — a match
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. object — to protest
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — to wash
  10. object — an aim
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a line
  16. scale — in music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. object — a thing
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bore — to tire

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