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: hide · staff · bore · straw · mine · degree · wake · shower

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — for digging
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. degree — from a university
  14. shower — rain
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. degree — temperature
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wake — a trail
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. staff — employees

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