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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. charge — a price
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. drill — the tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bound — obliged
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wound — an injury
  9. drill — army training
  10. field — a subject
  11. charge — in control
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — to cut
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bound — tied together
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — a tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — farmland
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. field — for sport
  24. clip — a video

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