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: trunk · drill · bulb · rush · plane · cold · temple · race

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — not warm
  6. drill — army training
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. race — humankind
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bulb — for light
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. drill — the tool
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bulb — of a plant

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