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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. row — a line
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. ground — the earth
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ground — a position
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — a match
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — happy
  14. tube — the underground
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tube — a container
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rest — a break
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — wild animals
  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