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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. roll — a list
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — final
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — finally
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. capital — a city
  13. roll — a cake
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ball — a dance
  16. content — happy
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. content — the amount
  19. capital — money
  20. ball — a great time
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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