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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — army training
  8. firm — a company
  9. cold — an illness
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spring — a coil
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spring — the season
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. firm — steady
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spring — of water
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. firm — decided

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