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: rest · fan · chest · plane · pop · drill · fork · wind

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pop — soda
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — a tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. rest — a break
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pop — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. plane — in geometry

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