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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. file — a line of people
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bass — low music
  16. file — a document
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. file — a tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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