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: bore · shower · mine · mate · racket · mark · drill · tube

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mate — a partner
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — rain
  10. drill — army training
  11. mark — a trace
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mark — a grade
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mate — to breed
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. drill — the tool

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