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 120 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: rest · pop · dip · fine · sharp · hand · rush · spell

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pop — music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rest — a break
  7. hand — help
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spell — letters
  11. fine — all right
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fine — high quality
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — magic
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pop — soda
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rest — what's left

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