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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spring — of water
  5. march — the month
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. content — the amount
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spring — the season
  11. content — happy
  12. bulb — for light
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. file — a document
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. net — for catching

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