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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chest — a box
  6. net — in sport
  7. ground — a position
  8. bound — obliged
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. net — after costs
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — finally
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. last — final
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — for catching
  21. last — to go on
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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