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: drill · chest · trunk · land · ball · pass · snap · saw

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. land — to come down
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — a country
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. drill — army training
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — ground
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chest — a box
  24. drill — the tool

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