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: kid · wound · last · kick · bat · drill · ruler · scale

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. last — to go on
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kick — in football
  6. bat — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. last — finally
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — a practice
  20. last — final
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bat — for baseball

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