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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. foot — a measure
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. content — the amount
  7. march — music
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. saw — the tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — to rob
  22. net — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — the tool

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