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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rush — hurry
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. spell — letters
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spell — magic
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — a division
  24. rush — to hurry

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