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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. press — a publisher
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. date — the fruit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. press — to push
  12. bark — to shout
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. content — happy
  21. chip — to eat
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. saw — the tool

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