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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. file — a tool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. drill — a practice
  9. file — a document
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — an aim
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. bear — the animal

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