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: rock · sharp · march · fine · last · dip · pitcher · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. last — to go on
  4. sharp — clever
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. dip — to sink
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rock — a stone
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — final
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. last — finally

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