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: nail · bore · last · mug · cold · deal · clip · bat

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. last — final
  7. cold — not warm
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — to drill
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — a video
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. last — to go on
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bore — to tire

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