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 116 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 · pop · chair · face · last · cap · prune · march

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. last — finally
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pop — soda
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. last — to go on
  13. pop — music
  14. last — final
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — of ice
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cap — a lid
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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