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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. game — a match
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. sharp — clever
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — part of the body

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