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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lean — thin
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lean — to bend
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. file — a tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. file — a line of people
  11. game — wild animals
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. scale — in music
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a document
  17. scale — size or range
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. game — a match
  24. temple — a place of worship

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