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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · object · sharp · temple · ground · suit · cabinet · fine

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. suit — clothes
  6. sharp — clever
  7. suit — in cards
  8. object — a thing
  9. ground — crushed
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ground — a position
  14. fine — all right
  15. shower — to wash
  16. object — an aim
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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