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: plane · arm · cold · cap · bound · hide · drill · band

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. drill — a practice
  3. band — a ring
  4. cold — not warm
  5. plane — a tool
  6. band — a music group
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a lid
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bound — obliged
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cold — an illness
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. drill — army training

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