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

Word bank: plane · bound · rush · content · mouse · march · wave · fan

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. content — the amount
  13. march — the month
  14. content — happy
  15. bound — obliged
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bound — certain
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. march — music

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