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 · staff · shower · bear · squash · pitcher · rest · tear

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. sharp — clever
  4. staff — a stick
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — to wash
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rest — a break
  22. tear — from crying
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rest — what's left

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