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 · wind · racket · spring · perch · kid · safe · prune

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — child
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — the season
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. prune — to trim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spring — a coil
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. sharp — clever
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — exactly

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