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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mark — a trace
  12. branch — a division
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. drill — army training
  18. row — to paddle

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