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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cap — of ice
  7. clip — a video
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pop — music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. clip — for paper
  15. content — the amount
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cap — a lid
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mug — a face
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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