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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a music group
  10. drill — army training
  11. pop — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a face
  15. band — a ring
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fall — the season
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — moving air
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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