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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. content — happy
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — in football
  22. march — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. tube — a container

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