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: march · bore · racket · plane · bark · last · rush · can

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. bark — to shout
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. can — to be able to
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to drill
  21. last — to go on
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rush — to hurry

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