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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rash — hasty
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — a box
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. plane — a tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chest — of your body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — an aircraft

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