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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. saw — the tool
  3. roll — a list
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. content — happy
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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