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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mug — a cup
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bass — low music
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rash — a series
  11. board — to get on
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. board — a committee
  17. mug — a face
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bass — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. chest — a box
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chest — of your body

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