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: shower · roll · mate · trunk · dip · field · plane · last

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mate — a friend
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. roll — a list
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. last — final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. last — finally
  17. field — farmland
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. field — for sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. roll — a cake
  24. shower — to wash

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