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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — army training
  6. pop — music
  7. board — to get on
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pop — to visit
  23. board — a committee
  24. can — a tin

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