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: plane · fall · mine · shower · safe · tube · clip · hide

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — rain
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tube — a container
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — to wash
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. clip — a video
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fall — the season
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. plane — a tool
  24. clip — for paper

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