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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a friend
  9. race — humankind
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. race — the arms race
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pound — a weight
  20. race — a contest
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wind — moving air
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lash — an eyelash

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