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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chest — a box
  9. rest — a break
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kid — child
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — a list
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — on a roll

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