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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. firm — decided
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — to crush
  8. content — the amount
  9. land — a country
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bank — of a river
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — final
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mine — an explosive

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