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: pitcher · stick · lie · straw · rest · content · march · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. content — happy
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rest — a break
  9. content — the amount
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — army training
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. march — music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rest — what's left
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — a straw man

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