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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. charge — in control
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — the sport
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. charge — a price
  17. rock — a stone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — to crush
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stem — a stem cell

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