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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. shower — rain
  5. present — there
  6. content — the amount
  7. mug — a cup
  8. present — a gift
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. content — happy
  21. present — the time now
  22. tube — a container
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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