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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. content — happy
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rush — hurry
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a tool
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. file — a document
  23. content — the amount
  24. spring — of water

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