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: arm · temple · roll · sharp · last · band · perch · key

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. key — for a lock
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — final
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — a cake
  10. band — a music group
  11. key — in music
  12. roll — a list
  13. band — a ring
  14. last — finally
  15. sharp — clever
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. perch — the fish
  24. arm — part of the 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