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 · saw · date · coach · degree · bat · club · wound

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. date — the fruit
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. club — a group
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. club — for golf
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. degree — from a university
  23. club — for dancing
  24. degree — an amount

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