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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. club — for golf
  3. current — of water
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. current — happening now
  6. last — to go on
  7. content — the amount
  8. mine — for digging
  9. last — final
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fine — all right
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. content — happy
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. club — a group

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