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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. mine — for digging
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. capital — a city
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — money
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pass — a permit
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. march — music

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