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: sharp · jam · arm · current · pop · capital · last · kid

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. pop — music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. current — happening now
  8. kid — child
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. capital — a city
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. capital — money
  20. current — electric
  21. pop — to visit
  22. current — of water
  23. kid — to tease
  24. jam — a tight spot

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