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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. present — the time now
  3. spell — a short time
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — an illness
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — letters
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. present — there
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cold — not warm
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — magic
  18. drill — army training
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. present — a gift
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — on a finger

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