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: spring · row · mug · rash · bass · ball · arm · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. spring — a coil
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mug — a face
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bass — low music
  16. mug — a cup
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spring — of water
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — a series
  23. spring — the season
  24. ball — a dance

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