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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — hurry
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bound — certain
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — a lid

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