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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — to protest
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — boats
  7. sharp — clever
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pass — a permit
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ground — the earth
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ground — a position
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. arm — a part of something

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