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 120 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: bat · snap · fan · drill · land · shower · safe · march

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to click
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. land — to come down
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — a country
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — army training
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. land — ground
  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