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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. court — for sport
  6. file — a document
  7. drill — a practice
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — a trail
  12. drill — army training
  13. file — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mate — a partner
  16. court — of a king
  17. land — to come down
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. plane — a tool
  20. band — a music group
  21. court — of law
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. land — a country

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