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: fall · bank · drill · land · row · cold · pound · vault

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bank — for money
  3. row — to paddle
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fall — the season
  7. drill — army training
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — a country
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fall — to drop
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bank — of a river
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. land — ground
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — to come down

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