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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — steady
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bore — to tire
  12. firm — a company
  13. race — a contest
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. shower — to wash
  16. tear — from crying
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — decided
  20. race — humankind
  21. bore — to drill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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