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: rash · rock · saw · sharp · spell · staff · cold · bear

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rock — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — magic
  6. rock — a stone
  7. spell — letters
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cold — not warm
  16. staff — employees
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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