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: kick · scale · shower · cap · leaves · bore · date · object

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. object — to protest
  3. cap — a hat
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kick — in football
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. scale — in music
  11. object — an aim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. date — the fruit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. object — a thing
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cap — of ice
  20. scale — size or range
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. shower — rain

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