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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. content — happy
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — the underground
  12. content — the amount
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. drill — a practice
  18. scale — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — size or range
  21. land — a country
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kick — in football
  24. tube — a container

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