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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spring — the season
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spring — of water
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mate — to breed
  15. drill — a practice
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — a series
  18. spell — a short time
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — the tool

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