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: drill · net · scale · bore · rush · chair · hand · chest

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. drill — army training
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — for catching
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. drill — the tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bore — to drill
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bore — to tire
  16. scale — in music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chest — a box
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. hand — in cards

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