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

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. march — the month
  3. plane — a tool
  4. march — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — a law
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. root — the cause
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a word
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rule — government
  24. chair — a leader

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