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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. staff — employees
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — rain
  10. roll — a list
  11. fine — all right
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — for digging
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. field — farmland
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fine — high quality
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. drill — the 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