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 124 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. drill — the tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. degree — an amount
  5. file — a line of people
  6. vault — a safe
  7. degree — from a university
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. drill — a practice
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — army training
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a document
  18. shower — rain
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. band — a ring
  24. file — a tool

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