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

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mate — a partner
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — a box
  17. mate — a friend
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mate — to breed
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. craft — boats

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