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 116 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: mine · row · fall · content · cue · march · pitcher · bore

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. content — happy
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. content — the amount
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cue — a signal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — a hint
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fall — the season
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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