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: drill · squash · bank · rush · land · ball · fall · calf

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bank — for money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — ground
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fall — the season
  11. land — to come down
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. land — a country
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bank — of a river

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