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: cap · pit · band · prune · drill · land · spring · deal

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a music group
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — a lid
  10. land — ground
  11. deal — to handle
  12. spring — a coil
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. drill — army training
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cap — a hat
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spring — the season
  22. band — a ring
  23. land — to come down
  24. spring — of water

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