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 · saw · mine · last · coach · tear · chair · shower

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. shower — to wash
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. last — finally
  16. plane — a tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chair — a leader
  21. last — to go on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — final
  24. saw — the tool

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