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: mine · bore · snap · pound · chest · hand · rest · band

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bore — to drill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. band — a music group
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chest — a box
  8. mine — for digging
  9. band — a ring
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chest — of your body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to click
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hand — help

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