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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. toast — bread
  3. content — happy
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. file — a line of people
  14. content — the amount
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mine — for digging
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. key — the most important part
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. key — in music
  24. lie — an untruth

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