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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. drill — army training
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lean — thin
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wake — a trail
  11. shower — rain
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — certain
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — not warm
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wake — before a funeral

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