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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. content — happy
  4. ground — crushed
  5. track — a song
  6. wake — a trail
  7. snap — to click
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — in music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. track — a path
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ground — the earth
  20. scale — size or range
  21. track — to keep track
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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