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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bound — certain
  6. mark — a trace
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — obliged
  9. drill — a practice
  10. plane — a tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. band — a ring
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. drill — army training
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cold — not warm

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