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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. last — finally
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — of water
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — a coil
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spring — the season
  16. fine — all right
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. current — happening now
  20. fine — high quality
  21. last — to go on
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. last — final

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