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 120 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: pitcher · deal · bore · content · plane · cabinet · kid · clip

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. content — happy
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — the amount
  20. kid — child
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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