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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bound — tied together
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cap — a hat
  10. drill — army training
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cold — an illness
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. drill — the 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