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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — happening now
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. net — in sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. current — of water
  12. drill — the tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. net — for catching
  16. land — to come down
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — a country
  21. drill — a practice
  22. current — electric
  23. net — after costs
  24. land — ground

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