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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. content — happy
  7. land — a country
  8. cap — a lid
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. saw — the tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — ground
  22. drill — a practice
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — to go away

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