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: shower · rush · plane · hide · roll · pass · band · land

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. roll — a cake
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a music group
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. land — a country
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rush — hurry
  13. land — to come down
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — a list
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — ground
  24. pass — to spend time

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