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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. kick — in football
  3. squash — to crush
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spring — of water
  8. toast — bread
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — a coil
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — the season
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. content — the amount
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. content — happy
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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