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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. content — the amount
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lean — thin
  5. content — happy
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — to bend
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mine — for digging
  13. land — a country
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. foot — a measure
  20. roll — a list
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — an explosive

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