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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spell — letters
  3. face — part of the head
  4. band — a music group
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fall — the season
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a ring
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ground — a position
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to confront
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spell — magic
  24. ground — crushed

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