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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. field — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. key — the most important part
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. field — a subject
  17. content — the amount
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bear — the animal
  20. key — in music
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wake — before a funeral

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