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: saw · row · capital · mine · last · rock · bore · ground

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. row — to paddle
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rock — music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bore — to drill
  13. last — to go on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a line
  17. capital — money
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — a position
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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