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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. drill — army training
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. shower — rain
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — to wash
  10. march — the month
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hand — help
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pop — soda
  18. race — a contest
  19. hand — in cards
  20. race — humankind
  21. pop — music
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. drill — the tool
  24. hand — part of the body

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