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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. clip — a video
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rule — government
  16. pop — to visit
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cold — an illness
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pop — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rock — music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bulb — for light

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