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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rush — hurry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — army training
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rush — a thrill

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