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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — hurry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. drill — a practice
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. dip — to sink
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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