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: wound · stand · drill · last · cell · pop · scale · tear

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — final
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pop — soda
  6. drill — a practice
  7. last — finally
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pop — music
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. last — to go on
  19. cell — a phone
  20. scale — in music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. tear — from crying

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