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 124 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bass — low music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kid — child
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. row — a line
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. spring — the season
  18. kid — to tease
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wound — an injury

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