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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. last — final
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — to go on
  5. court — of law
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. track — a song
  10. fork — in a road
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. content — happy
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. court — of a king
  21. last — finally
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bark — to shout

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