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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spell — letters
  8. bulb — for light
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — for light
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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