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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. swing — music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. row — a line
  20. shower — rain
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bulb — for light

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