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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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 — with an edge
  2. spring — of water
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — a series
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. track — a path
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. track — to keep track
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. drill — a practice
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wax — to grow
  23. nail — on a finger
  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