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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. present — a gift
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wound — an injury
  14. staff — employees
  15. lean — to bend
  16. shower — rain
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mine — for digging
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lean — thin
  22. present — there
  23. shower — to wash
  24. saw — the tool

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