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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. content — happy
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — happening now
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lean — thin
  13. content — the amount
  14. game — a match
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fine — high quality

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