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 116 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: sharp · hand · snap · stick · rash · nail · cold · fine

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hand — help
  5. snap — to click
  6. sharp — clever
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fine — all right
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hand — in cards
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. nail — for a hammer

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