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: tear · net · bound · plane · lash · straw · drill · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. net — in sport
  5. march — music
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — after costs
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tear — to rip
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — army training
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bound — tied together

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