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 124 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. drill — the tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — a position
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. land — to come down
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a great time
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — the earth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — army training

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