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: pop · last · racket · roll · land · sharp · bore · spell

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. last — final
  5. pop — music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — soda
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bore — to drill
  12. roll — a list
  13. last — finally
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pop — to visit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. land — ground
  19. spell — a short time
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — a country
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bore — to tire

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