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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rush — hurry
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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