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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. object — a thing
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a song
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ground — crushed

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