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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mark — a grade
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rash — hasty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — to crush
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. march — music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. squash — the sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rash — a series
  24. nail — on a finger

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