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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — a phone
  8. band — a music group
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fall — the season
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bulb — for light

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