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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. capital — money
  6. rock — music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cue — a hint
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. shower — rain
  24. capital — a city

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