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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — a division
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kid — child
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. board — to get on
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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