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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. firm — steady
  4. game — a match
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. firm — decided
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. shower — rain
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. shower — to wash
  16. board — to get on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. march — music
  20. snap — to click
  21. firm — a company
  22. board — a committee
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. sharp — clever

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