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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. craft — boats
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — clever
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. deal — to handle
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rash — a series
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — a big deal

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