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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. content — happy
  7. tube — the underground
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fall — the season
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — to tire
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a round shape

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