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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. drill — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ground — crushed
  7. band — a music group
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — a weight
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — a practice
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — a tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ground — a position
  20. drill — army training
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. band — a ring
  24. ground — the earth

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