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 the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — letters
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — magic
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — the animal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — a short time

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