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 · mark · pit · deal · firm · last · clip · mine

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bore — to tire
  5. firm — decided
  6. last — to go on
  7. firm — steady
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. clip — a video
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mark — a trace
  15. last — final
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. last — finally
  23. mine — for digging
  24. clip — for paper

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