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 116 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: game · drill · wave · cap · spring · bank · fork · squash

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cap — a hat
  15. squash — the sport
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. spring — the season
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — of water
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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