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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kid — to tease
  5. sharp — clever
  6. drill — army training
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. craft — boats
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — a match
  11. kid — child
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spell — letters
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spell — magic
  23. craft — a skill
  24. drill — 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