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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. club — a group
  5. sharp — clever
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. scale — in music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. club — for dancing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rest — a break
  16. rash — hasty
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — in football
  20. club — for golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rash — a series
  24. sharp — exactly

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