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: bear · rock · chest · present · wound · drill · kick · kid

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kid — to tease
  4. present — there
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. drill — army training
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rock — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kid — child

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