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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cell — a phone
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — army training
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cap — of ice
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — a tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — child
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cell — in a prison

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