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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · tear · bank · game · plane · wind · ruler · pitch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pitch — completely
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ruler — for measuring

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