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 · sharp · pitcher · ruler · racket · content · cold · hide

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. content — the amount
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — happy
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. content — videos and posts

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