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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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