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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — a friend
  4. roll — a cake
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mate — a partner
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. roll — a list
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. content — the amount

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