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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — a practice
  7. file — a document
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — boats
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. march — music
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. craft — a skill
  14. sharp — clever
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hand — help
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. drill — army training
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — with an edge

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