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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. swing — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. swing — to play on
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wound — an injury
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. swing — in golf
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. net — after costs
  18. drill — army training
  19. foot — a measure
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pound — for dogs

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