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: cold · bulb · perch · rule · craft · chest · wind · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. chest — a box
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rule — a law
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rule — government
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. craft — boats
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chest — of your body

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