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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. present — a gift
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — the amount
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. present — there
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — the time now
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — in music
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fall — the season
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rush — hurry

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