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: pitcher · tube · sharp · rush · branch · arm · hide · drill

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tube — the underground
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — a division
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — army training
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. drill — a practice

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