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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. object — a thing
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spring — the season
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitch — completely
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spring — of water
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. drill — the tool
  24. plane — a tool

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