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: spring · content · rash · net · row · sharp · stand · present

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — the time now
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. content — happy
  10. spring — of water
  11. rash — hasty
  12. present — a gift
  13. content — the amount
  14. present — there
  15. rash — a series
  16. net — in sport
  17. row — to paddle
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stand — to bear
  22. net — for catching
  23. row — a line
  24. spring — the season

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