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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. sharp — clever
  5. drill — a practice
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. season — in sport
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. season — of the year
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — for digging
  16. present — there
  17. drill — army training
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. track — a path
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. sharp — exactly

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