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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. mate — to breed
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. game — a match
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — help
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mate — a friend
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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