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: content · pass · bat · bore · pitcher · row · spring · game

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. content — the amount
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bore — to drill
  9. content — happy
  10. bore — to tire
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — the season
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a line
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. row — to paddle
  20. game — a match
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. bat — the animal

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