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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. hand — in cards
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. hand — help
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — an illness
  19. sharp — clever
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chest — of your body

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