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: arm · row · wake · date · charge · pitcher · sharp · perch

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. charge — a price
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. charge — in control
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — clever
  15. date — the fruit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. charge — electricity
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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