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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — a trail
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. track — a song
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. object — to protest
  15. track — a path
  16. rash — a series
  17. hand — in cards
  18. object — an aim
  19. branch — a division
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. object — a thing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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