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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. current — happening now
  3. march — music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. drill — a practice
  8. current — of water
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — electric
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bat — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tube — a container
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tube — the underground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. sharp — exactly

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