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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rest — a break
  3. mug — a cup
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. march — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mug — a face
  22. content — the amount
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wound — an injury

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