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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — finally
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. sharp — clever
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. last — to go on

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