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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. row — a line
  6. land — ground
  7. bound — certain
  8. content — happy
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — obliged
  14. row — to paddle
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — the amount
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. file — a tool
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. land — a country

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