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 · chest · ground · roll · bulb · chair · craft · pass

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — to drill
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pass — a permit
  14. ground — crushed
  15. craft — boats
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chest — a box
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — a position
  24. bulb — of a plant

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