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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. content — the amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. roll — a list
  6. cold — an illness
  7. roll — a cake
  8. content — happy
  9. bound — certain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cold — not warm
  14. press — to push
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — to breed
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wind — moving air

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