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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. drill — the tool
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. drill — army training
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. squash — to crush
  14. board — a committee
  15. track — to keep track
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rash — a series

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