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

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. tube — a container
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to bend
  7. scale — in music
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lean — thin
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bat — in an idiom

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