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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fine — all right
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pop — to visit
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. content — the amount
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. can — a tin
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pop — soda
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — videos and posts

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