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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. file — a document
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wake — a trail
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. row — to paddle
  10. capital — money
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — the sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. root — the cause
  20. row — a line
  21. root — of a plant
  22. file — a line of people
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. root — of a word

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