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 120 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tube — a container
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tube — the underground
  12. content — the amount
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. content — happy
  16. cold — an illness
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cold — not warm
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cap — a lid

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